7. Gohan
What’s that? You think we’ve completely short sold the Masenko-blasting child with the hidden potential? It all comes down to the man he grew up to become. He peaked marvellously in the Cell saga, finally putting it all together and blowing his foe into oblivion. It took a fair bit of coercing to get out, but it was definitely satisfying, all the same. Once the Majin Buu saga rolled around, it was all downhill for Gohan. With Earth finally in a state of peace, he let his training lapse so that he could pursue the peaceful life of a regular teenager – trying desperately to find the balance between his studies and a healthy social life. He even donned a costume and masqueraded as a superhero to help conceal his strength!
…Was anyone keen on that, exactly? The unfathomable wienerfication of a character we had grown to know and love? In the same saga, they introduced his younger brother Goten, who was basically intended to fill the void left by Goku and Gohan growing up. We would have much rather kept Gohan at the age he was at, now filled with a sense of confidence and responsibility that could only be found when fighting a tall green man with a pointy tail. He would never again approach that level of badassery as a young man, and we may never forgive him for that injustice.
